The first show from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix deal will be a docuseries about the Invictus Games, the streaming service has announced.
Heart of Invictus, made by their Archewell Productions company, will follow the competitors as they prepare for the 2022 games.
The couple signed a major deal with Netflix last year, thought to be worth millions of pounds.
Prince Harry has been a champion of the Invictus Games since its inception so it’s fitting that Archewell’s first Netflix series will spotlight and celebrate the competition’s amazing athletes.
Heart of Invictus will follow the competitors as they prepare for 2022’s games. pic.twitter.com/yM7t2qdBsw— Netflix (@netflix) April 6, 2021
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The service said the couple would be producing “content that informs but also gives hope,” from documentaries and scripted series, to features and children’s programming.
Heart of Invictus, will be directed by Orlando von Einsiedel and produced by Joanna Natasegara, who previously worked on Oscar-winning short The White Helmets together.
Harry will appear in the show and will serve as executive producer on the series.
It will follow a group of competitors from around the globe, who are all service members who have suffered life-changing injuries or illnesses, on their road to the Invictus Games The Hague 2020, now set to take place in 2022.
Netflix said the multi-episode series will join the competitors as they train, and along the way reveal powerful stories of resilience and hope.
The series will also follow the organisers as they work to prepare for the Games.
Harry, who is patron of The Invictus Games Foundation, as well as co-founder of Archewell Productions, said: “Since the very first Invictus Games back in 2014, we knew that each competitor would contribute in their own exceptional way to a mosaic of resilience, determination, and resolve.
“This series will give communities around the world a window into the moving and uplifting stories of these competitors on their path to the Netherlands next year.
“As Archewell Productions’ first series with Netflix, in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, I couldn’t be more excited for the journey ahead or prouder of the Invictus community for continuously inspiring global healing, human potential and continued service.”
Dominic Reid, chief executive of the Invictus Games Foundation, added: “We’re very excited about the opportunity to shine the global spotlight of Netflix on the men and women that we work with, in order to ensure that even more people can be inspired by their determination and fortitude in working towards their recovery.
“This partnership will also bring in significant funding to the charity. We are extremely grateful to our Founding Patron for his continued efforts to support the military community, and for making this partnership happen.”
Ted Sarandos, co-CEO and chief content officer of Netflix, said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Archewell Productions team are building an ambitious slate that reflects the values and causes they hold dear.
“From the moment I met them, it’s been clear that the Invictus Games hold a very special place in their hearts, and I couldn’t be happier that their first series for Netflix will showcase that for the world in a way never seen before.”
